Special
by sakura430
Summary: Edward always thought Bella was his soul mate. She was special. Right?
1. Prologue

EPOV

I leaned down, and softly, tenderly kissed her neck. I looked her over and took her in for the last time – rosy skin, quickening heart, the soft smell of strawberries. I was so intrigued by her, the one person on Earth that I could not hear her thoughts. I sighed heavily.

"Bella, my darling, are you sure this is what you want? You know I'll love you regardless, and I would love nothing more to spend the rest of your days with you, human or vampire."

Bella sat up from the bed quickly, her face unreadable. "You tell me Edward. Tell me how you'll feel when I look more like your mother, your grandmother, than your girlfriend! And that's assuming I even live that long, which is looking less and less likely, with all the crazy vampires after me!" And…" Bella turned away, biting on her lower lip, and turned to stare out the window.

"And what, love? You have to tell me what you're thinking." I turned her back around to face me. I couldn't stand not knowing, I needed to make this right.

"And nothing," Bella replied. "You promised me you would do this tonight. I've said my goodbyes. Please?" Bella looked at me with big, sad brown eyes, and I could deny her nothing. I gently laid her back on my bed. I could do this.

"Edward," Bella half breathed, half moaned as I positioned my mouth at her neck. Knowing that if I waited any longer, I would again lose my nerve, I took a breath and bit down.

Nothing could have prepared me for this. This was the sweetest taste I'd ever experienced. I pulled from her neck once more, letting the blood linger on my tongue. I had to stop. I wanted Bella, more than I wanted her blood, right? I forced myself to pull away and sealed the neck wound with venom. I quickly bit down on both wrists and ankles, sealing them as I had the neck wound. I had done it – my Bella would be one of us now.

* * *

JPOV

It wouldn't be long now. Her heart was slowing, her skin was hardening, and the screams were coming much less frequently now. Edward had gathered us all together for when Bella woke up, figuring that if she acted like a crazed newborn, we could handle her better that way. I felt her pain start to slacken, and then her eyelids fluttered open. She glanced around the room, eyes wide.

"Bella, what did you say?" Edward asked.

I laughed. "She didn't say anything, brother. Don't tell me that your vampire hearing is going, not when you've got a hot new vampire wife, old man!"

Edward stood up from his place at Bella's side, a place he hadn't moved from for three days, and started backing up slowly. "Say it again Bella," he said, a touch of menace in his voice.

Bella looked confused and remained silent. She looked at Edward quizzically.

"Oh. Oh, no Edward, no!" Alice cried. The rest of us glanced at each other, bewildered.

"I can hear her," Edward said softly. "I can hear her, and her thoughts are… ordinary. Like everyone else's. She's not special anymore. I don't want her." Edward glanced around the room, and like a petulant child, his glance landed on me. "Jasper. You're good with newborns. You'll take her, right?"

I looked at him, not comprehending what I was hearing. But while I may have been lost, the rest of the family was starting to catch on.

"You can't do this Edward! She's your mate!" Alice was practically sobbing. But it was Rosalie, comprehension slowly dawning on her face, who I was watching. She advanced toward Edward, her anger almost bringing me to my knees.

"How COULD you? You damn her to this life, and then you leave her? No. NO." Rosalie was practically screaming now, her crimson nails pointed like a dagger between Edward's eyes. "Get out of my sight, you make me sick."

"Carlisle?" Edward now turned to look at our father figure, who stood frozen, grief etched into his every feature. He stayed still another moment, then snapped out of his trance.

"Jasper, Rose, take Bella hunting," Carlisle instructed. "I need to have a few words with my 'first-born'."

I looked over to where Bella sat, all but forgotten by the man who had claimed to love her. I walked over, and helped Bella up off the floor. I could feel her thirst, but more than anything, I could feel her overwhelming grief and despair. As we left the room, all I could think was, "Edward, you may not know it yet but you may have just destroyed the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."


	2. Chapter 2

JPOV

When we got outside, I smiled and turned to Bella. "Are you ready for this, darlin?" I asked, trying to pour hope and confidence into her. I didn't think it was working.

Rosalie glanced at me, radiating concern. It only served to magnify what I was feeling myself. Bella had yet to say a word since she had awakened, and the person that she had loved and trusted had just done his best to completely break her. Newborns were fragile and unpredictable as it was – who knows how Bella would react, both on this hunt and in the upcoming days and weeks?

I tried again. "Bella," I said, reaching for her hand. She pulled away. I tried again, and this time managed to catch her left hand, interlacing my fingers through hers. I felt a small shock run up my arm, and judging by the surprise I felt coming from Bella, she felt it too. Could this be her power, like Kate's ability to shock vampires and knock them flat? Interesting, and worth exploring later. But for now, we needed to hunt. I motioned for Rose to take Bella's other hand, and we started running.

I could feel Bella's surprise. She was fast; newborns always are, but Bella seemed quicker than most. I shook my head. I hadn't been around any newborns for over half a decade, so I could be remembering wrong. We ran until we came on a small herd of deer, and Bella took one down without any coaching from Rosalie or myself. She was beautiful to watch, graceful like a cat, but tough, like the fiercest of predators. It was nice, being able to be around Bella without feeling the bloodlust. I barely knew her, as Edward had been careful to keep me away while she had remained human, but there was nothing to stop us from being friends now.

Rosalie and I drank our fill, but it seemed Bella was still thirsty. Rose and I communicated with each other through glances and feelings. We had been there; we knew what it was like to never feel satisfied and to constantly crave more. As much as we were enjoying sharing this experience with Bella, I couldn't help but think that it should be Edward here with her, and that it was Edward that she wanted.

After Bella had drained a large buck, she walked over to where Rosalie and I were sitting. She sat down next to me, placed her hand on my knee, and said, simply, "Jasper."

I couldn't explain it, but it gave me a thrill of excitement that the first word Bella had spoken since awakening was my name.

"Hey darlin," I said softly. "What did you think of your first hunt?"

"Thank you," Bella replied. She turned to Rosalie. "And thank you too, Rosalie. I'm glad I know how now. But don't worry. I won't stay around and bother your family. If he," and her voice broke a little on the word, as she tried not to say Edward's name, "doesn't want me, I won't burden the rest of the family. You don't have to worry about me, I won't hurt anyone."

Rosalie stood up, her temper flaring. I shot her a look, begging her to sit back down, but Rose glanced at me dismissively. "No, Jasper, this needs to be said." Rose walked over and knelt down in front of Bella. She took Bella's hands in her own, and looked her in the eye.

"Bella, I know you and I have had our differences in the past, and I feel like I need to explain why." Bella opened her mouth to interrupt, but Rosalie shushed her. "I know you've heard something of my past; I know you know what happened with my fiancée and his friends." Bella nodded.

"The thing is, I never chose this life. I didn't want to be a vampire. There were many times when I wished Carlisle had simply let me die. I lost my chance at humanity, at babies and cooking big Sunday dinners for my family. And I missed that, and miss it still. So when I saw that you were so willing to give up your humanity for a cursed existence, I couldn't understand it. I hated you for your ability to live, and your willingness to throw it away."

"But you listen to me Bella, and you listen close. However you came into this life, you are family now. You are my sister. And I don't ever want to hear you say again that you're a burden on this family. You're one of us, and we aren't letting you go anywhere."

Bella's eyes shone, and if she had still been human, I'm sure she would've been crying. But if she had still been human, we wouldn't be here, wouldn't be having this conversation. She would still be with Edward, and not with me, like she was supposed to be. Wait… where did that thought come from? I pushed it to the back of my head, and took one of Bella's hands from Rosalie.

"She's right, darling," I agreed. "You can't get rid of us now."

* * *

EPOV

"Edward, what are you thinking?" Carlisle ranted as he paced his study. "This is Bella we're talking about here, the woman you love!"

"Loved," I corrected. "When I couldn't hear her thoughts, she was special. Now… not so much." I knew I sounded cold, but I had waited almost 100 years for someone whom I could be around without the constant pressure and headache of their mundane thoughts, and now that Bella was just one voice among many in my head, all I wanted was to get away. Maybe someday I would find another whose thoughts were silent, and next time, I wouldn't make the mistake of changing her.

"Please son, be rational," Carlisle begged. "She's still the same Bella. You can't simply hand her over to your brother as though she's some plaything you've grown tired of. Think about what you're doing to her, and to the whole family."

I reached out and listened to the thoughts of my family remaining in the house. I heard Alice first. "Edward, how could you? I love her, we all do. I'm sorry I didn't see this coming, but please, you have to make things right when she gets back!" Next was Emmett. "This is cold, Eddie. I've never seen this side of you little bro, and I don't think I like you much right now." Finally Esme, "Edward, my son, she is my daughter already. I think you should leave."

It was Esme's thoughts that jarred me the most. She had always been so sweet and kind, forgiving everything, even the times we slipped and drank from humans. I had thought that if anyone would understand, even if they didn't agree with my decision, it would be Esme. Her thoughts solidified things for me. I would leave, wait until things settled down, and then return. Surely it wouldn't take long for all of this to blow over. Jasper was more than qualified to take care of a newborn, and the rest of the family would help.

I stood up. "Right then, I think I'll head up to Denali for a bit. Let me know when all of this has blown over." I looked at Carlisle, "And tell Bella I'm sorry. It isn't her fault that I don't want her anymore. At least not entirely."

I turned to walk out of Carlisle's study, and saw Bella standing just outside in the hallway, looking as though she had just been punched repeatedly in the face. I brushed past her with a small smile, hearing the shock in her thoughts, and went to pack up some of my room.


	3. Chapter 3

JPOV

"Blown over? What does he think is going to happen? Sure, Edward, let's just forget that I gave up my friends and family to become a vampire for you, just to have you leave me as soon as I open my eyes. No problem, that should take what – a week or two at most to 'blow over' right?"

Bella was ranting, pacing the floor and flinging her arms about wildly. We had returned home from hunting just in time to hear Edward make a complete ass of himself once again before doing the one thing that could be considered right since Bella had awakened, leaving. Bella had taken it hard, but she hadn't reacted like I had expected her to, with sadness. No, Bella was pissed.

"Bella, I know you're mad, and you have every right to be, but…" I winced as one of Bella's arms collided with the wall of my study, knocking a large hole in the wall. "Bella, I don't think you know your strength yet." Unfortunately, Bella was beyond hearing me, as anger and hurt overwhelmed her completely. Even the calming waves I was sending her way were having no effect.

Alice appeared in the doorway of my study. "Jazz, you need to get her out of here before she destroys Esme's entire house. Take her on a run or something."

I stepped over to her. "Alice, can I talk to you? I've been feeling… strange."

Alice stood on her tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. "Later." She gave me a sad look. "Bella needs you right now. She trusts you. You know as a newborn her emotions are all over the place anyway. You make her feel," she paused for a moment, searching for the right word. "Centered," she finished.

I smiled down at my wife, who barely reached my shoulder, even on tiptoes. "Love you," I said. I turned to Bella. "Hey darlin, let's get out of here. Ready to go?" Bella, still in full rant mode, didn't even hear me. I tried again. "Bella, are you thirsty?"

Bella stopped and clutched at her throat. She shot me a glare. "I wasn't until you said that!"

I laughed and ran downstairs, determined to get the door before Bella could pull the knob off or something else absurd like that. As I ran outside, I head Alice calling, "Love you too Jazzy. More than you know."

* * *

APOV

I clutched my head. If vampires could get migraines, I would so have one right now. I was flooded with images. Bella and Jasper running up by a cliff I'd never been to. Bella and Jasper kissing. Bella and Jasper in bed, curled up, whispering against one another's lips. I'd been getting images like this ever since Bella woke up, but they had intensified since Edward had made the decision to leave. How could I stop this and save my marriage?

I ran through the possibilities in my head. Could I seduce Jasper away? No, I saw Bella crying to him about how everyone had someone but her, and Jasper pulling even further away from me. I could fight Bella, but one of us always ended up hurt, and I didn't want that. I loved Bella, she was my sister and best friend. I let out a small huff of breath. This was all Edward's fault. If he wasn't so selfish and childish, he could look past the fact that he could read Bella's thoughts, and then everyone would be happy.

Edward. Before I fully formed the thought, I was pulled into a vision.

_I was walking into the house, pulling Edward by the arm._

"_Alice," Edward was whining. "I don't see why we need to do this. I was much happier staying in Denali. Why can't you just accept that Bella isn't my future?"_

"_Edward," I snapped, "while you may have been happier, not everything is all about you. This is Bella, the woman that you love." I cut him off before he could open his mouth to say "loved." "You haven't even spoken to her since she was changed. She really is beautiful, Edward, just wait and see. Or would you rather I tell Tanya up in Denali that I see a future for you and her? If you thought she was bad before, just wait. You'd never get another moment's peace for the rest of your existence." I couldn't believe I was having to blackmail my brother into spending time with the woman he had called his soul mate._

"_Fine," Edward rolled his eyes at me. "Where is she then?"_

_Bella was in the backyard, sparring with Jasper. When I led Edward out, both of their heads immediately snapped up in surprise. I didn't need to be an empath to notice the confusion and hurt coming from Jasper, and the confusion and hope coming from Bella._

_Edward stepped over and took Bella's hand. "We need to talk," he said curtly._

_Bella nodded, and followed Edward into the house, sparing a backward glance toward Jasper. He gave her a dull smile and nodded for her to go. Bella tried to smile back, failed, and choked back a sob. Still, she followed Edward inside. Well of course she wouldn't be happy yet, she had no idea what Edward was about to say!_

_I followed behind, staying the next room over, far enough away not to interfere, but close enough that I could hear their quiet conversation._

"_Bella," Edward began. "Perhaps I was too rash after you woke up. I should have taken the time to get to know you. I know what you're thinking…" With this, Edward chuckled mirthlessly, "Quite literally. But Alice has convinced me that we should try to make this work." I could practically see him rolling his eyes. Half a decade with my brother had taught me that Edward was not being entirely sincere right now._

"_Of course, Edward," Bella replied, not sounding nearly as certain as her words implied. "After all, I did this for you. We were meant to be together. Right?"_

I pulled out of the vision as abruptly as I had entered it. If Edward came back, Bella would choose him. I would be free to be with my Jasper. Everyone would be happy, eventually. I nodded to myself. I was sure of it. Now all I had to do was go to Denali and convince Edward to come back.

* * *

EPOV

I wandered around Alaska, looking for another whose mind was as silent to me as Bella's had once been. I pulled a hand through my hair and sighed impatiently. What was I thinking? I had to wait ninety years to find someone the first time. Why did I change her? I was an idiot.

"Eddie!" I heard a voice call from behind me. Great, Tanya. She assumed that because I was once again single, she had a chance with me again. "Oh Eddie, we have a visitor!"

I ran back to the house, expecting one of my family members to have come to get me to come back. Could Bella really be over this already? Perhaps she was as happy to be rid of me as I was to be rid of her. I felt lighter. Although I may not have a soul mate, at least I could have my family back.

When I reached the house, however, I stopped short. The thoughts coming from inside were familiar, but I had been so certain that it would be one of my family waiting for me that I couldn't immediately place them. I walked more slowly through the door.

"Hello, Edward," said the person sitting on the couch.

Well, this complicated things.

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the positive response to my first story. I already have quite a bit of "Special" written, so I'll likely be updating every few days, at least for a while. Until then, review! It motivates me to write and post more quickly :)**


	4. Chapter 4

EPOV

"Charlie!" I choked out. _Why is he here? How did he find me? _"How nice to see you." _And more importantly, how can I get rid of you quickly? _"What can I do for you?"

Charlie looked pained. "Bella is missing," he said simply.

I tried to think quickly. Charlie didn't know that I'd stopped loving Bella. How would I have reacted if Bella had gone missing back when she her mind was still quiet? When I still loved her?

"Oh no," I said. "What happened?" Well that didn't work. Even to my own ears, the words sounded false. I looked at Charlie, whose eyes had narrowed sharply. Yes, he'd noticed too.

"Well I was hoping you could tell me, son," Charlie replied. "Seeing as you may have been the last person to see her."

I tried to think back to the cover story we'd created to cover up Bella's disappearance. She'd wanted to go for a hike in the woods, and I couldn't go because I'd had too much homework. We were going to take Bella's clothes and cover them in blood, then leave them for someone to find. Was it possible no one had found the clothes? Or… oh.

The clothes were supposed to have been my job. With everything that had happened, and the speed at which I had left Forks, I'd never left the clothes. I decided to stick with the rest of the story anyway.

"Bella wanted to go on a hike to a favorite meadow of ours. I was going to go with her, but I had a lot of work, so she decided to go by herself. I just assumed she went home afterward, and I don't get any phone reception up here, so I wasn't worried that I hadn't heard from her in a while." I was rambling, and I needed to stop.

Charlie didn't look satisfied. In fact, if anything, he looked even more suspicious. "Bella doesn't hike. And even if I believed this story you're telling me, you're saying that my daughter, whom you are practically joined at the hip with, went on a hike by herself, and you just left for Alaska without talking to her for over a week?" Hmm, guess he wasn't the police chief for nothing.

I laughed nervously. "Well, to be honest, sir, Bella and I had a little… fight that morning. And I guess she just wanted to clear her head. I thought I'd come up here and give her some time to cool off a little. My cousins have been bothering me to visit, and since we graduated, I thought this might be the perfect time."

He wasn't buying it. One hand had dropped to his gun, and he took a step toward me. I know that bullets can't hurt me, and if Charlie fired it was more likely that he would be injured when the bullet ricocheted off of me, but there was something incredibly intimidating about having a "deadly" weapon pointed at me.

"So let me get this straight. You and my daughter had an argument on the day she disappeared? And you just _conveniently_ decided to go to Alaska, to visit some cousins that I've never heard either you or Bella talk about before? Something isn't adding up here, Edward."

I decided to change tacks. "If Bella went missing in Forks, are people out looking for her? I could call my family, we love to camp and they know the forest well." There went that rambling problem again.

Charlie was relentless. "You know, I had forgotten that you know the forest so well. Tell me Edward, is there some place in particular in Forks that I should go back and look in?"

I was torn. If I sent him back to Forks, the chances that my family would be in danger increased greatly. Especially since they did, in fact, know where Bella was. But if I didn't give him something to go on, he would stay here and watch me, making it far more likely that he would discover that I was a vampire. I decided to send him back to Forks – Carlisle was experienced at getting out of situations like this, and at the worst, they could always leave Forks and start over somewhere else.

"Sure, I know a couple of rough spots. Plus, I can get you directions to the meadow Bella said she was going to." I moved to get a pen and paper, then jotted some locations down. Charlie took the paper from me.

"Thank you. And to answer your earlier question, yes, there are people searching all over for Bella. I'll be sure to call and give them these locations. As for me – I'm staying right here."

* * *

JPOV

Once we were outside, I wasn't sure where to go. Yes, Bella needed to hunt, but I needed to keep her out of the house for a few hours until I could get her calmed down enough that she wouldn't destroy everything in my path. I decided on a cliff in Oregon, several miles away by car for a human, but it would be a quick run for us. And there shouldn't be many humans on the way.

I grabbed Bella's hands and started running. We stopped when we ran across a pack of deer, then continued running.

When we reached the cliff, I led Bella over to the ledge, and sat down, our legs dangling over hundreds of feet of pure rock. I loved that Bella was no longer a fragile human, and I felt strangely calm, sitting here looking out over the world.

"It's beautiful," Bella breathed. "Do you come here a lot?"

I smiled. "Sometimes. I usually come here when I need to think, or just to get away from everyone and their emotions. It can be a little overwhelming."

Bella, who was as usual thinking about others, sighed. "Oh Jasper, I didn't even think. You must be going crazy having to deal with my mood swings. I just can't help it, I've been so angry, and…" I cut her off by placing a finger over her lips.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous," I scolded. "I'm happy to be around you, and to be honest, I've been pretty angry with Edward myself." I saw her wince at the sound of his name, and vowed not to use it again until I was sure Bella could handle it.

Bella sighed again, at least temporarily assuaged. "You've been so good to me. And when you must be wishing you could spend time with Alice. I just feel so comfortable with you. It's like you're perfect. And this place is perfect. Alice must love it here."

I laughed, trying to keep up with Bella's quick changes in topic. "First of all, Alice doesn't like it here much. She's more of an indoors kind of girl. Give her a shopping mall and she's happy, but she doesn't think there's enough for her to do out here. Second, I like spending time with you. You're family, and I love you. And trust me, I'm far from perfect."

"Don't say that," Bella said angrily as she turned to me.

"No, it's true," I replied. "I'm not like the rest of the Cullens. Bella, how much have you heard about my past?"

"Not much," she admitted. "Would you tell me?"

I winced. Telling my story was painful to me, but I felt a deep desire for Bella to know. "I was born in Texas back in the 1800s. I had a brother, who I always loved and looked up to, and when the Civil War came, he joined up. Unfortunately, he was killed. I wanted to be like him so much, that when I was just 17 years old, I lied about my age and enlisted. I moved up quickly through the ranks, and when I was twenty, I became Major Jasper Whitlock."

"Whitlock?" Bella interrupted. "But I thought your last name was Hale?"

"Hale is Rosalie's name. We took it so that we could pretend to be twins." I smiled. "Now, don't interrupt darlin. This is hard enough for me to tell as it is." I took a breath and began again.

"One night when I was out on patrol, I came across three beautiful women. I thought they were lost, and offered to help. Actually, they were vampires, and one of them, Maria, changed me that night. Maria saw that I was an empath, and thought she could use me. You see, at the time, vampires were fighting for control of the territory in the south. They thought that whoever controlled the territory could feed from humans freely. Maria wanted me to help her build up an army so that she would be in control. She created hundreds of newborns, and it was my job to sense which would be the most aggressive and useful in battle. Newborns were good because they are strong, but after a year, that strength starts to wane. Then, it was my job to destroy them."

"Bella, I'm not proud of what I was then. I killed vampires and humans alike. My reward for doing a good job was to feed, and I was rewarded often. I grew more and more depressed, and I don't think I would have made it much longer had I not befriended one of the newborns, who eventually convinced me to escape. I finally found Alice, and she led me to the Cullens, and… well you know the story from there."

I looked over at Bella, expecting her to be repulsed. Instead, I felt… pride, love?

"Bella, you did hear the story I just told you, right?" I asked.

"Of course, and how strong you must have been to overcome that!" Bella cried. I was confused. Bella was one abnormal vampire. There was just one more thing I needed to show her.

I stood up, and peeled off my shirt. I was covered in hundreds of scars, criss-crossing all over my arms and torso. While my skin still sparkled in the light, the scars gave it a grotesque, freak-show appearance that had most vampires looking away quickly. But like I thought before, Bella was completely abnormal.

"You're beautiful," she groaned. "Can I touch?" Bella reached out and traced the lines of one of my scars. I thought for a second that she was going to say something else, but she simply linked arms with me and went back to our silent gazing. After a few minutes, I could tell something was on her mind, but surprisingly it had nothing to do with me.

"Jasper?" Bella asked. "Why do you think… he… could hear me when I woke up? I thought human powers supposed to become stronger when you become a vampire, not disappear."

"I'm not sure, darlin," I replied. "That's something we should ask Carlisle about."

We sat there in silence again for what seemed like ages. I wasn't sure what Bella was thinking, but I was overwhelmed with amazement that she hadn't run away from me. She hadn't even felt any of the usual revulsion I normally felt when vampires saw my scars. I was just about to suggest we head back when the wind shifted, and I smelled it. Human.

Bella was up and running towards the scent before I could think to restrain her. I ran after her, but she was too fast. By the time I reached her, Bella had the hiker on the ground and was caressing his neck, almost lovingly.

"Oh, Jasper," she said, awe filling her voice. "I _want_ him. More than I've ever wanted anything." It almost seemed as though she was asking my permission. But to be honest, I was barely holding back the venom myself.

This was wrong. I had to do something to stop her, to distract her. But I could barely think, the scent of the hikers blood was pounding so strongly in my head. Almost without any consideration, I grabbed Bella, pulled her toward me, and kissed her hard on the lips.

And to my complete shock, Bella kissed me back.


End file.
